America's Next Great Star

I'm sitting in the back of the van... watching John Mayer on DVD heading SOUTH!

We're driving through Atlanta at the moment. Even though we've had the week off... this is the third time we've made this drive in a week! On our way back from Ft. Benning.... I popped down here and back yesterday.... and then we're passing through on our way to Jacksonville. Sometimes I sit back and look at my life from outside myself and just smile. I always wanted this. It's been way harder than it is now. Parts of it may get easier some day. But whatever form it takes... I just want to keep these wheels a rolling and never stop this train. :)

On Saturday night after I accepted my awards at APCA, I was asked to be a judge on America's Next Great Star. Think American Idol/America's Got Talent... but one that comes to you! Campuses can hire the show, "The Live Entertainment Experience" and audience members get to participate. After the judges select 3 top acts, the audience gets to text for their favorite. They do the WHOLE show - from auditions, to interviews and testimonials that they air as the person is walking on stage to perform... multiple camera angles shown on the projectors during the show... It's really a cool thing.

The student that won APCA's won $250, their tape will be sent to "industry professionals" in Nashville, New York, and L.A. The winners of the campus-wide tour have a chance to win $15,000.

It was so fun being a judge. And it was HARD! There were some VERY talented students and participants. I loved being a part of the show, and I was so glad they asked me to judge.

It was fun because they actually got to play with a live band. It's a band that was showcasing at APCA and they do "live band karaoke". The students had to pick from a list of songs (just like Idol) but they actually got to play with a live band! So cool.

I highly recommend the show. Campus advisors were asking me questions later... and they really do a great job of capturing the entire experience. I'm a fan!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Barney Fife and Gomer Pyle Danced With Me On Stage Tonight!

It's closing time at the fair :( We had so much fun this week. It was FINALLY a beautiful day out at the Georgia National Fairgrounds. It was still chilly, but it was a million times better today because the sun was out! :)

We made so many great new friends this week. Our friend and dressing room mate, Carrie McQueen, is a fabulous stilt walker and juggler. And her precious puppy, Gypsy (because she was on the road with Carrie 2 weeks after she got her!) was such a sweet puppy. She kept us entertained! And she LOVED James. When he took a little break on the floor... she decided to do the same :)


And LEON!!! Leon Jacobs, the NICEST man in show business. He and I would alternate playing shows on the Georgia National Stage. He plays keys and is just fantastic! And THEN he would run sound during our shows. Everyone constantly had such great things to say about our sound. As one guy said... "Leon goes from song to song. Most sound guys go from sandwich to sandwich" :) I love that! But he was VERY attentive and did an amazing job.
We LOVE Leon. And Chris loves him a LOT. As you can see.


Chris actually got up and did the Tina Turner dance during Leon's last set :) We were all doing just about anything to keep warm. But I have a sneaking suspicion that Chris would have done it anyway ;)-

In the last show of the night, Leon got up to play a song with us, Barney Fife AND Gomer Pyle got up on stage and sang and danced with us!!! I will NEVER forget that!

We had some awesome people out at the show, too! These kids gave me the bear I'm holding!!! They won it and then gave it to me :) So he sat on my amp for all of my shows.


Lucy came to the show yesterday, and then came back again today! She used to play the violin. She was in Germany and had a violin teacher from Holland :) She told me to ask Barney if St. Pete gave him his bullet back when he got to the Pearly Gates. :)


And these guys were AWESOME! They came to a couple shows tonight and wanted their hoodies signed :)



Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Texas A&M University Kingsville

We played at Texas A&M University in Kingsville last night and had one of our best shows in a long time! The audience was unbelievably enthusiastic and made us feel so welcome! It's so funny how the exact same grouping of songs can feel so different from show to show.
We played a new song that we haven't played a lot yet (The one the Uncle Corndogs Loves from Ribfet!). It's one that Charlie and I wrote called "Just Like That". I could NOT for the life of me remember the 4th line of the song. And I even sang it in sound check without thinking twice about it! I was trying to figure it out back stage before the show.... it's the line that comes before "The warmth of your touch makes me melt" so I knew it needed to rhyme with "melt". I kept trying to figure it out, and then Hootie started making suggestions for filler lines in case the original didn't come to me on stage.
The first one, which I actually used because it wasn't too bad.... for a filler...
"I'm feeling things, I've never felt" I mean.... yeah, we figured it was better than NOT singing anything!
His next suggestion, and my personal favorite "The way you look, the way you smell" :) k, yeah, not so much! LOVE IT.
I think Hootie should write ridiculous alternative lyrics to all my songs. :) Wait. He kinda already does most days in the Suburban....
So anyway, the line is SUPPOSED to be:
"You draw me in like no one else"
Da Da DAAAA! DUH!!!! Wow. Can't believe I couldn't think of that one.

We took lots of pics after the show! Everyone was so gracious and fun. I want to go back! Oh!
And Eva Longoria graduated from that school :)

CAB - the wonderful group that brought us here, took care of us, and put the entire show on. Thank you so much Nino and everyone in CAB!!!! You guys were so awesome to us!


Our awesome sound crew:


Our protector:


Some new friends next at the merch table:



A bit of Greek life that came out to the show :)
Aren't these girls adorable?


I was ok with being in the center of all these guys! (I look like I match)


So yeah. GREAT way to start off the new year. We'll have more pics posted in the slide show on myspace :)

Right now we are staying at Randy Peterson's place in Dallas. We are shooting a video in the morning and currently the guys are all upstairs playing foosball - they are getting pretty into it. We have spent the night playing a little rock band (I am TERRIBLE at the drums!) and Mario Kart.. so much fun. I'm glad hotels aren't this entertaining.... we'd never get any work done!

But now I am off to sleep... lots o' hair and make-up to get done in the morning!!!

Peace, Love, Fiddle and Good Night